Data suggest some Greeks are stocking up on medicine
Concerns about medicine shortages have prompted Greeks to stock up on drugs, health officials said Thursday.
According to figures from main healthcare provide EOPYY, spending on medicines during the first six days of July was 17.2 percent up on the same period last year.
EOPYY president Dimitris Kontos said he believes the rise is due to people hoarding drugs because of fears about the economic situation.
As a result, EOPYY and the Health Ministry are examining the possibility of making changes to prescription rules.
They are also considering suspending doctors’ right to prescribe brand name drugs and only allow them to list the medicine’s active ingredient as a way of preventing shortages.